2026-05-03: Friends
- Log: Friends
- Cast: Lisa Silverman, Minako Arisato
- Where: Central Street - Main
- OOC Date: May 03, 2026
- IC Date: November 03, 2012
- Summary: Lisa and Minako decide to hang out, opting for karaoke in Shibuya rather than going to Sumaru or Iwatodai. It's going great, when Lisa suddenly asks an awkward question--and supplies a reason in short order.
(|========================== Central Street - Main ===========================|)
-====================================================== Tokyo/Shibuya Ward ====-
Chances are, if you're a fan of a youth trend in Tokyo, it started here. Less
than a five minute walk from Shibuya Station, Central Street is lined with
businesses that cater to youth culture. Boutiques and media stores are just as
common as cafes and fast food. Arcades display the cabinets and claw games with
the latest merch, while back alley shops serve more merchandise for more niche
interests, such as military otaku looking for realistic-looking model guns at
Untouchable.
Drug stores, convenience stores, book stores, discount stores, video rental
stores? You name it, they got it. Sports gyms, karaoke bars, movie theatres,
diners? Yup. The local Big Bang Burger stands out most of all with its flashy
space-themed pneumonic entrance.
While it has a reputation as a safe neighborhood for both tourists and locals in
order to preserve its image as 'for the youth,' darker elements have started to
creep in from back alley folks that try to offer school kids opportunities for a
quick buck or job opportunities for tourists who find their passport stolen in
short order. Or so the rumor goes.
Still, rumors are just rumors, aren't they? There's no reason to hold back, so
come on in, enjoy yourselves.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Shibuya's pretty nice; Lisa likes getting out here now and then. When it comes time to meet a friend from Iwatodai, it's a good compromise for them both!
And she does want to hang out with Minako; she's gotten a little nervous, just privately, about how that might go. But it's not something she can really talk about...
Better to just dive in!
> Minako-chan, you want to meet up later in Shibuya?
That was earlier. However it resolved, assuming it was a 'yes'...
Now, they're in a private room at a karaoke bar, with Lisa having just tried her hand at a song that is totally not the Muses's style. She finishes, and lets out a breath. "Hoisamuro!" As she sits down and sets the mic down, she grins over at Minako. "I don't do a lot of karaoke," she admits. "So it's kinda fun to sing without it being a production sometimes."
Once, long ago, she hated karaoke. ...Wait, did she? No, that was someone else.
But she gestures to the tray of drinks, "You wanna take a break a few? It's important to stay hydrated!"
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako is used to meeting people in Shinjuku. For one thing, that's where she meets Ren; for another, it's convenient for anyone in Shibuya. It is, after all, the literal center of the Tokyo metropolitan area's railway. And when the text came.
> Hey Lisa-chan. Sure.
And thus, the hangout was set -- and a friendship secured! Minako did a little fist pump once the plan was set-up.
She is a little intimidated to be here -- after all, Lisa is a singer in Muses; Minako is a strictly amateur singer. And the fact she sings a song not in their style well -- she laughs, though, beaming up at her.
"I bet," she says. "I was a little surprised, since it's your job... but it's fun, too!"
She blinks, then she nods, and glances at the tray of drinks. "Oh, sure," she says. "Yeah, I could stand to have a drink and rest my vocal chords for a little bit."
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Friendship secured!
Lisa would be glad to sing with Minako instead of just in turns, of course. She's glad this worked out. ...But she had an ulterior motive!!
More on that in a bit.
"Haha. Yeah, I was worried it'd seem egotistical or something, considering," she admits. "But if it's fun, then I'm glad."
Lisa picks up a clear soda and takes a sip. "Right? It's healthy and stuff."
"So uh..."
"How've you been?" she wonders. Quick, Lisa. Icebreak!
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako takes a Ramune -- and presses down on the plastic cap, with the loud clink of the glass marble against the glass bottle. She lifts it up, and has a sip from her bottle. Then, she looks up at Lisa. There is a blink, then a shake of her head. She takes a second to respond, because she has to lower her the bottle.
"No way," she says. "I didn't think you were trying to show me up. Karaoke's a thing we do together, anyways, so it's not like it's a competition."
This may not quite be how karaoke really works.
Then, she blinks -- and Minako smiles. The 'uh...' gives her pause, as she wonders about that. "I'm doing pretty good. I'm glad exams are done, and... you know. I've been doing stuff with my clubs, and friends. Volleyball's... going."
She tilts her head. "What about you?"
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Clink!
"Great," Ichika answers with a smile. "Yeah!" Well, some people absolutely compete at karaoke, but it's not how Lisa likes to do it with her friends. And Minako is her friend!
"That's cool," Lisa answers then. "I'm glad, they're done, too. And you know, idol stuff."
Her...
"But good stuff! I went to that concert the other week, the one at the beach. And I've been practicing my kung fu a lot, too."
"...Say," Lisa says. "Do you watch much Sumaru TV?"
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"I heard a little about that concert," Minako says. "It sounds like it was pretty cool. How's the... uh, the idol stuff going?"
Are they okay to talk about that? She isn't sure. Minako tilts her head to the side for a moment, eyebrows furrowed. She doubts that it's a spy type of thing -- no, it must be fine. She cracks a smile, then.
"You really are into kung fu," she tells Lisa. She pauses for a moment, then, at the question. "I did when I lived there. Not so much, these days, but I try to keep up on the shows that I used to watch."
A beat.
"Why do you ask?"
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"It was!" Lisa confirms. "Even if the band leader's kind of a jerk, he really knows how to put on a show. And I guess he's a good guy or whatever." Pause. "We've got a concert coming up too! I mean, you knew that, but I'm excited."
It's very soon, after all.
"I am!" A nod, then. "I see... That makes sense. Well, like, the other month, we were on a show right before the actress Junko Kurosu went on. She's really cool, you know? I got to know her some when we did SMILE."
"...And it just got me thinking, you know, all this stuff in the world... she's trying to use her fame, I guess. She's sticking up for like, her gay son and all that."
Pause.
"So it just got me thinking, uh..."
"So what do you think about that stuff? Gay people, and all."
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"It... sounds like you have maybe a bit of history with this band leader?" Minako says, with a neutral expression -- but a raised eyebrow. She does, however, know about Lisa's concert -- and that makes her break into a smile. "Yeah. I'm gonna be there! I got my tickets, even~"
A pause, then. She knows Junko Kurosu -- she remembers seeing the movie with Ren. It's a bittersweet memory; they seemed affected, but they didn't say a lot about it. She nods her head, then, and her fingers tighten into a fist.
She does a fist bump.
"Yeah," she says. "She's really awesome for that -- for sticking by her son. I think it's sad how they get treated and how they have to hide who they are." Her expression softens, for a second.
She knows a little about how it feels, to have to hide who they are.
"I guess, um, gay people are cool, I've never thought about it a lot til recently, but--"
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"Not a long one," she says. "But he gives people weird nicknames. It's super rude." A beaming smile latr, as Minako says she'll be there, "I'll look for you in the audience!"
Fistbump! Lisa smiles. "I feel the same," Lisa says. "Having to hide who you really are... It sucks."
Lisa does, too. But she doesn't say anything at first--not until after Minako says they're cool. Then--
Minako may be surprised when Lisa suddenly closes the distance to kiss her on the mouth.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako grins when Lisa says she will look for her in the audience. That, she thinks, is fun; she hasn't ever known a singer on stage aside from Ririka, and her band is good -- but they're not quite the same as an idol band. That smile softens, though, when Lisa says that it sucks to hide who she is.
"Yeah," she says, softly.
It must be hard. Being an idol means she can't always say what she thinks or feels; that a lot of her private life has to be kept very private, or it could get her in trouble. It isn't entirely unlike SEES -- having to hide a large part of what she does. It--
Oh. Oh.
At first, Minako feels very dumb for missing the signs.
And then she feels shocked, freezing up when Lisa's lips press against hers. She hasn't been kissed in a few weeks; the last time was before she broke up with Ren, and it takes her back. But then, the familiar warmth she always felt comes rushing back. Her breath catches in her throat.
Then she leans into the kiss, her mouth opening and returning it. Her hands reach up, both resting on Lisa's cheek, before she closes her eyes.
Kiss now, think later, she decides.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Minako gets it. That must be it. Because the things she thinks are true; Lisa can't be entirely free about who she is with everyone. it isn't just about this, but--
It is very obviously also about this.
Lisa hesitates an instant when she feels Minako freeze--but when she instead goes with it, Lisa sighs against her, kissing a longer while as she closes her eyes too.
...Eventually, though, she pulls back. "Ah, heh..."
Lisa's a little red. "Well, you didn't pull away! So that's a... good sign?"
She hesitates.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako manages to delay thinking for awhile -- and to her considerable surprise, as she really hadn't considered kissing a girl before, she finds she likes it. As much as she liked kissing Ren. But eventually, they do have to pull back. Lisa is a little red and finds Minako, too, is a little red in the face.
She glances sideways, then she laughs. "Y-Yeah," she says. "I--um. I had no idea. I, uh..." She looks back at Lisa.
"...a little surprised, but that was fun," she says, with a sheepish laugh of her own. Her crimson eyes are lit up. She hesitates, too, for a second.
"...so..."
She starts to think. And there is a sense of guilt, then; she can't do a relationship now. She isn't even sure she wants to, even if it was quite nice. But she falls quiet, and waits for Lisa to say more.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"Oh!! Aiyah!"
She had no idea. "I wasn't sure if you had," Lisa says, "But from what you were saying I thought you might get it..."
She smiles back, when Minako says it was fun--and then--
Oh. Oh.
"Sorry-ia, I kind of just sprang that on you. Um."
She waves her hands. "I'm not--"
"It doesn't have to be anything," she says after a moment. "I'm not allowed to date or anything, so... it's actually easier for me if it's not."
"But you're really cute and I thought you 'got it' maybe and..."
"Ah, ha ha?"
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako laughs at the kung fu noise -- she isn't quite sure what else to call it -- and she flushes, but she smiles at Lisa. It's more confident than before and her eyelids half-lower; it's a different smile than the one she usually has, which only Ren has seen before. "Oh, you know, sometimes it's nice to be surprised~"
She tilts her head and considers what Lisa says. And, to her credit, she thought of what Minako was saying. "Sure," she says. "I--um. I understand. I'm... I just got out of a relationship."
She feels a little pang of sadness, at that. She is having to make the same excuses she did with Ren; omit the very same things. But, she missed being close to someone.
"...I think I get it," she says. "I... um. I'm still figuring things out. But... if it doesn't have to be anything serious... I don't mind figuring it out. It is pretty fun."
Minako smiles again. "...and we can still be friends, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
That more-confident smile doesn't make Lisa any less red. Especially not the comment. "That's... true?"
"Oh, yeah," she says. "That makes sense. A guy, I'm guessing."
Lisa relaxes a little when Minako says she thinks she gets it. "Totally, figure things out! But..." She smiles. "Yeah. Fun."
"I missed it," she admits. "Not that I've kissed a lot of girls or anything, but..."
She nods emphatically. "Yeah! I want to be friends. Even if you didn't wnat to do any more of... this," she gestures, "I'd want to be friends."
"I'm kinda still figuring it out myself... I mean, it's not like I'm gay."
Pause. "Or I mean, I am. But I'm not like, all the gay. I like guys, too!"
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako keeps smiling at Lisa -- and it doesn't falter when she thinks of Ren. No, they're not a guy -- at least, not all of the time -- but that isn't something to tell Lisa without talking to them. "Mm-hm," she says. She watches Lisa, considering -- and she had always thought she was pretty. But now... well, she has to admit that she thinks of her as pretty in a different way.
Or maybe she is conscious that she always did.
"I did too," she admits. She hesitates for a second more, and then her mouth opens -- and closes. Then, she nods. "R-Right, um. I think the term is bisexual."
A beat.
"...but yeah. If you want to kiss and all sometimes, I'm..." She turns sheepish, then. Her crimson eyes are down on the floor. "...I-I'm good with that."
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"It's good, right?" Lisa asks, when Minako admits that she also missed it. She knew at least what she thought of Minako already--and her heart is still pounding despite the relief of Minako getting it. And then--
"Oh," Lisa says. "OK. Then, I'm... that."
She laughs then, more out of relief than something else. "Cool," she says. Then she reaches out for Minako's hand, just for a moment. "Then..."
"I totally do. We've got a lot more time. ...You want to do some more of that now?"
She sets down her drink. Just in case.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"Yeah. It's... a lot of fun. I thought--you know. At first, just, I was in a relationship. But... kissing and being close is... it's a lot of fun," Minako says with a laugh that turns just a smidge sheepish. Admitting that out loud is a little embarrassing. Her cheeks turn that much redder.
"I'm... well, maybe? I--um. I'll figure it out," she adds. She looks back at Lisa, and considers. Her heart is pounding, she realizes. There is a glance at the door -- then the clock. They do have a lot of time.
And no one will see here.
She looks back at Lisa, bites her lip as she smiles for a second. Then, she nods her head.
"Yeah. Yeah, I do."
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"Hai!" Lisa answers cheerfully. "Right, a relationship is one thing but... It doens't have to be." She sees the way Minako gets sheepish again and says, "It's super fun."
"Hey, I don't worry that much about labels and stuff," Lisa answers, "So that works for me." The door, the clock...
They will probably do some more singing. Probably.
But Lisa grins back at Minako, and lifts a hand up to the other girl's cheek. "Then..."
"Let's do that."
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"Yeah... it doesn't," Minako says, with a little laugh -- as she realizes it doesn't, and she isn't sure what to think of it. It's an option she hadn't considered before. And yet...
She looks back at Lisa, and then shivers when she feels that hand on her cheek. Minako smiles, leaning into it for a second. Her eyes close -- and it feels nice and electric, if in a different way. Then, her eyes open.
And she leans forward again, lips parting, before she kisses Lisa once more.